The future holds many unknowns. But the world of video is a different story. Gather around as we take a look into our Mad Bear Crystal Ball – which no surprise resembles our new Nokia OZO Virtual Reality camera. Take a minute or two to read Mad Bear’s predictions for the world of video in 2017.

360 Video/Virtual Reality will be THE dominant buzz technology of the Year.

3D video, mobile video and even drones have had their time in the “buzz light,” but for 2017 it will be all about 360 Video/VR.

Predictive statistics are already suggesting this will be the case. Here are just some of the resources pointing in that direction:

▪Revenues from virtual reality products (both hardware and software) are projected to increase from 90 million dollars in 2014 to 5.2 billion dollars in 2018. (Read the full Statista report here)

▪Consumer spending on VR headsets will go from 1.6 billion dollars in 2016 to 7.9 billion dollars by 2020 (CNBC)

▪Dip into CES 2017 for a sense of how dominant VR has become already in the shaping of what the word “immersive” means.(Forbes)

2. Sorry Snapchat. Instagram It Is.

#sorrysnapchat

Instagram will continue to use “video stories” to take marketshare from Snapchat. The meteoric millennial monetization (yes… a three part alliteration) rise of Snapchat has come to an end, as many marketers will move away to Facebook owned Instagram (3 more “m’s”… I’m on fire). There was some writing on the wall several months ago when Instagram copied Snapchat and unveiled stories (here is one article from AdWeek) but Instagram isn’t done yet. Look for further integration of video in their platform and look for more ways for businesses to utilize the platform to target ads (a la Facebook). There might even be some expiring video content and/or filters added. While I love your new Spectacles Snapchat. It just won’t be enough.

3. Interactive Video Content Will Move from “Maybe” to “Must Have”

Clickable, shareable, trackable …. it is so nice marketers are ABLE to do these things without ever having to leave a video link. As viewers decreasingly jump between platforms (i.e. “If the content originates on Facebook please don’t send me to a landing page.”), interactive content become the key to keeping people engaged. Interactive in these terms can mean more social media features or even a deeper use of 360 video (see the #1 prediction above).

Here is a good overview article on interactive video from the co-founder of an interactive video company Rapt Media.

So there you have it… three predictions for 2017 … in a way all three say the same thing. Video will move deeper in the direction of consumer initiated engagement. In other words, the video creator will no longer fully control what people experience and how they experience it. Now, the creator is empowered to tell the story so that the viewer can control the experience. So give your viewer the keys, invite them into the driver seat and see where they go. If the ride is good enough, they will come back for more.

About the Author: Glenn Zimmerman

Glenn has what is best described as “Superhero Syndrome.”
His affliction began as a child and has progressed with age.
He got into extreme skiing and extreme sports before they were a thing because every superhero should try flying at least once.

While at Boston University, it was his desire to save the day that brought him to Post- Soviet Russia where he explored the emerging homeless population.

His Syndrome brought him to journalism school at Syracuse University to get his MS in Mass Communications.

He later became an award winning reporter with the number one station in Detroit (WXYZ-TV) and with NBC’s flagship station in New York (WNBC- TV). And, it was the reason he formed the video agency Mad Bear Productions.

With Mad Bear, he harnesses the power of story to help business, non-profits and events engage with their target audience. Video is his tool and he wields it mightily.

Glenn is a sought after speaker on video engagement and mass media. It is all part of his quest to help save the day, one story at a time.

If you love the idea of video but don’t know how to get the video in front of the people you are trying to reach… You are not alone.

So I want to share with you our story of discovery of that exact conclusion.

This story describes what really is a dynamic duo of video storytelling.

Yes it is fun but why should you care?

Because through the narrative, you learn about a service offering from video agency Mad Bear Productions that not only finds and produces business stories but designs a campaign around the videos, strategically delivers them to a specific audience where they are already hanging out and makes sure that audience is watching and engaging.

Mad Bear co-founder Julian Williams was in Rio for the Olympics. This was his 4th Summer Games. After spending some time with gold medalist Jeff Henderson, he wrote this article.

A slim figure is bent over at the waist, feet together, a slight bend in his knees, sinewy muscular arms hanging low, fingers twitching over the indigo strip beneath him. He taps the surface thrice, tap tap tap, with his right foot and extends it backward, straightening at the waist beyond upright, leaning backward now at a 65 degree angle, while drawing his right arm across his chest; his left leg is extended straight in front him, left heel on the surface, his toe extended in the air exposing glinting spikes protruding out of the hot pink soles of his Nikes.

Taut, still, his eyes burning into the middle distance, in one motion, he leans forward, his left toe rocks down, his right knee explodes forward, with calculated choppy steps he accelerates, chop chop chop chop, building speed, 20 yards, chopchopchopchopchop, at forty yards, upright, knees like pistons, elbows pumping, spikes a blur, still building speed, 50 yards full throttle, approaching 25mph, at 60 yards, top end, a long stride, wham! His left foot slams into the white wooden board embedded in the runway, the spikes grip, in a fraction of a second his hamstring contracts, body compresses low, and uncoils as he explodes off the surface into the air and and soars, arms forward, legs flailing, flashes of pink and white and blue.

McAlmont, Arkansas, ‘MacSide’, occupies almost three square miles smack dab in the middle of the state. Population 2,000, Median house price $71,000. Jeff Henderson attended nearby Sylvan High in Sherwood, where he starred in track and football. Despite his speed, he received no Division 1 scholarship offers and only partial Division II scholarships. Unable to pay for college for more than a year at a time he used partial scholarships to jump from one school to another finally landing up at Stillman College. It was here at a national indoor meet, bouncing between the 60m sprint and long jump, that he caught the eye of Al Joyner, himself a former gold medal winner in the triple jump. Joyner offered him the chance to travel with him to California and train at the USOC facility in Chula Vista, CA. There was just one problem; Henderson had no money, not even enough to buy a plane ticket to California.

Joyner saw enough in the young man to take care of the flight and put him up in a hotel for two weeks. Henderson recalls leaving with all his worldly possessions in two duffel bags, including two pair of Nikes. After that two week session, Henderson returned home to Arkansas, where Joyner would text him workouts. His local high school had no proper track, so he conducted his workouts on the macadam “running track.” He would travel to meets and compete, living on a shoestring, with whatever help his father could provide.

He spent the next year back and forth between Arkansas and the USOC facility in Chula Vista, living in the dorms paid for by the USOC, his expenses handled thanks to the benevolence of his coaches who believed in his talent. In 2015 he had made the US team, where he represented the United States at the World Championships in Beijing. He finished in 9th despite having the longest jump in qualifying competition. He was despondent. The depression turned to anger. He swore he would win his next meet.

The next international meet was the Olympics. Following the U.S. trials in Houston, which he won, Al Joyner gave Henderson his gold medal telling him to return with two. Henderson returned the medal before he left for Rio, assuring Joyner he would return with one of his own.

In yet another unlikely twist of fate, during one of those visits to California, he met a photographer who introduced him to an agent friend who was looking for a track man with a background in football. That meeting resulted in workouts with a wide receiver coach in whatever time was left over after track workouts, which in turn led to a workout with the Kansas City Chiefs. They have asked him to join them training camp when he returns from pursuing his Olympic dream.

The flailing legs brace for landing as 175 lbs of desire descends into olympic sand, his rear barely scraping the surface, bounding up and out of the pit, more antelope than human, bursting with adrenaline, sprinting across the midfield all the way to the far end of the track, he stares at the board…8.38 meters. 27 1/2 feet. That’s your Chevy Tahoe bumper-to-bumper with a Mini Cooper. Better yet, that’s a gold medal. By one centimeter. That’s this far: ( ). His hand raised in triumph he breaks into a sprint, 175lbs of blue lycra clad joy streaking across the matching blue midfield.

When Jeff Henderson returns to his innocuous apartment complex in Southern California, few will know the gold medal winner next door; he won’t tell them. He doesn’t want people to know. He will return with medal for Al Joyner, this one all his. He will place the medal in his mother’s hands who will not recognize him for she is in the last phases of Alzheimer’s. He will join the Kansas City Chiefs, where he will be the fastest thing on a football field Kansas City has ever seen.

He’s not done. He promises he will be back at the World Championships in London, and plans to defend his title in Tokyo in 2020. So if you missed the quiet man in the kerfuffle surrounding swimmers, and gymnasts and mosquitoes, you have a another chance to catch Jeff Henderson on the long runway leading to glory, because no one is going to catch him on the football field.

About the Author

Julian Williams

As Director of Photography and co-founder of Mad Bear Productions, all things visual pass before Julian’s creative and experienced eyes. He has been capturing the story as it happens from behind the lens for more than fifteen years.

Julian’s ability to find the extraordinary in the seemingly mundane is his gift. As both a cameraman and editor, Julian understands the importance of shooting the right material the first time. With a developed love for telling stories and a deep appreciation for being allowed inside the worlds of thousands of people, Julian loves shooting every kind of story.

From Shuttle launches at Cape Canaveral, natural disasters, historic elections, Super Bowls, The Olympics, a World Cup to a royal wedding across the pond; Julian brings his global experience and understanding for the latest technologies and trends to Mad Bear’s clientele.

Mad Bear co-founder Julian Williams is in Rio for the Olympics. This is his 4th Summer Games. Read on as he reflects on Michael Phelps: The most underrated American athlete of all time.

A friend replied to me regarding Phelps with the argument that he has more opportunities to win medals; and while he does not really care for him, he does respect his accomplishments. That got me thinking…

Most people (no one else!) are physically unable to qualify for 6 (or in the case of Beijing 8) races in one games. Phelps does not just qualify, he wins!

Imagine if Usain Bolt ran the 100, 200, 400, 800, 100 hurdles, 400 hurdles, and two relays in the same games. Ridiculous. Anyone has the opportunity, but physically being able to go through that watery-meat grinder is a different story. Remember, for every final you watch, there was a qualifying heat to get there.

Phelps has done it over the course of 20 years! A swimmer staying elite, not just elite in terms of making it through trials for 20 years (if you make the US Olympic swim team you are an elite swimmer), but being essentially the overall best swimmer in the world for 18 of those 20 is simply absurd. It is just not done.

Every Olympics he has had rivals that challenge him, even beaten him, but four years later, they are gone, Phelps is still there and has been since 2000.

To put it in perspective, Ian Thorpe is an Aussie legend (5 Olympic golds and 8 Olympic medals total). Thorpe first beat Phelps in Sydney, when Phelps was 15, and he was 17; by the time Beijing rolled around Thorpe had been essentially retired for a couple years, and Phelps was winning eight golds. EIGHT GOLDS! Two of them in the most physically demanding disciplines: the 100 and 200 fly; and the individual IM! Then, he comes back four years later and wins four more golds in London!

Yet, only someone who has been a competitive swimmer or follows swimming can even begin to wrap their head around what he has done, and continues to do. To respect Phelp’s accomplishments is to disrespect his body of work; you should be in awe of him as you would a force of nature. For that reason, he is the greatest individual athlete in modern history at his particular sport; the only other person who comes close is Jack Nicklaus in golf and Tiger was getting close before he imploded. He is what Tiger might have been.

No one is getting close to Phelps. Phelps is a more dominant swimmer than Ali was a boxer. More dominant in his sport than Sergei Bubka. Serena. Roger. You name it. However, because of the place swimming holds as a sport in our country and culture, he is also the most underrated individual athlete in the history of our country, not in the swimming world, but in terms of the general public, the average sports fan, and the sporting press.

Keep this in mind tonight when you watch Phelps. Force your children to watch with you, for you nor they will never see the likes of him again.

Even if he doesn’t win, even if he is beaten by the younger men who idolized him growing up, men who will climb on the blocks tonight because he inspired them to take up the sport, and in the case of LeClos and Kasuke, he is the reason they chose to swim butterfly in the first place.

Know that merely respecting him is disrespectful. He is Einstein. DaVinci. Hawking. Picasso . El Capitan. Merckx. Bannister. In terms of swimming he is as big as Everest and meaner than the Matterhorn . He is all that even if he loses tonight. More from Rio coming soon…

About the Author

Julian Williams

As Director of Photography and co-founder of Mad Bear Productions, all things visual pass before Julian’s creative and experienced eyes. He has been capturing the story as it happens from behind the lens for more than fifteen years.

Julian’s ability to find the extraordinary in the seemingly mundane is his gift. As both a cameraman and editor, Julian understands the importance of shooting the right material the first time. With a developed love for telling stories and a deep appreciation for being allowed inside the worlds of thousands of people, Julian loves shooting every kind of story.

From Shuttle launches at Cape Canaveral, natural disasters, historic elections, Super Bowls, The Olympics, a World Cup to a royal wedding across the pond; Julian brings his global experience and understanding for the latest technologies and trends to Mad Bear’s clientele.

Given the dominance of video and the proliferation of video-centric technologies, how do you fail at video? Or perhaps better stated, how do you avoid failing at video during the current climate of high video consumption?

We put together five simple tips to help you stay video relevant regardless if you consider yourself a media company, a small brand or a person in your garage.

1) Genuine and real should be the core of any form of video engagement. If you stray from this you risk alienating your audience. Whenever in doubt be yourself and speak honestly and from the heart. It makes no difference what you are talking about, who you are talking to and whether you are speaking for yourself or a brand… society has a very sensitive BS meter. Trigger it and you lose the audience.

2) Whether it is VR, AR or Micro-Casting; you have to remember, these are simply hi-tech tools. And it is our job as marketers to make sure we are using these tools correctly. By correctly I mean, are you creating and sharing content that utilizes the inherent uniqueness of the tool in a way that further engages and NOT simply using a tool because it is the latest shiny object.

3) Focus on creating an experience versus spoon feeding messages. You do this by taking advantage of the specific platforms/channels you are using and asking why people use them.

For example, ask yourself why do people go on Facebook? And then think how that relates to your topic. Then remember, the video will autoplay on mute. So what does the combination of those two concepts mean for how you have to build the content?

Gary Vaynerchuk does a good job of furthering this concept.(And remember, he did that talk in 2014. The concept has only evolved further.)

4) This one is for video marketers focusing on ROI*** While planning and forecasting, don’t get caught up in the limitations of language. Because our mechanisms of communication are evolving so rapidly our language can’t catch up. In essence, language is getting in the way of us understanding each other.

Was that video short-form or long-form? Does the word media adequately cover all forms of engagement? How do you differentiate between the words: content, news, media and journalism? Etc…

Many of these words have defined meanings that pre-date the digital age and can mean different things depending upon who you are, how old you are and what you do.

The best advice: begin your communication by focusing on the the result of what you are trying to accomplish and then move into how you plan on getting there. If you focus on the result first, at least your audience will know where you are going and then they will understand better what you mean.

5) The concept of making something social is misunderstood by a vast majority of people. While we are using social tools all of the time, most of us are not pausing to understand how they are benefiting us and in some cases how/why they are social.

Take the App Trivia Crack (I know… so 2015). I have always loved the show Jeopardy (despite Alex Trebek’s intolerable arrogance) so it makes sense why I am addicted to this game. But in addition to the fact that I love trivia stuff, the game allows me to challenge my friends in trivia and/or challenge a complete stranger. Plus, I can rate questions and/or even create my own. And there are metrics that allow me to see how I am doing against a larger collective. That’s all very social.

Or what about this… I just got the new 4th Generation Apple TV (fantastic by the way) and found a Karaoke game Sing! Karaoke by Smule where you are singing along with not only the artist but different real people who recorded themselves. How uniquely social.

_____

I hope these 5 tips have been helpful … now let’s go and collectively change the world of “video news media” or whatever the kids are calling it these days.

About the Author: Glenn Zimmerman

Glenn has what is best described as “Superhero Syndrome.” His affliction began as a child and has progressed with age.

He got into extreme skiing and extreme sports before they were a thing because every superhero should try flying at least once.

While at Boston University, it was his desire to save the day that brought him to Post- Soviet Russia where he explored the emerging homeless population.

His Syndrome brought him to journalism school at Syracuse University to get his MS in Mass Communications. He later became an award winning reporter with the number one station in Detroit (WXYZ-TV) and with NBC’s flagship station in New York (WNBC- TV).

And, it was the reason he formed the video agency Mad Bear Productions.

With Mad Bear, he harnesses the power of story to help business, non-profits and events engage with their target audience. Video is his tool and he wields it mightily.

Glenn is a sought after speaker on video engagement and mass media. It is all part of his quest to help save the day, one story at a time.

Really… I had turned my head from watching the person speaking in the front of the room and was openly talking to myself. Mouthing the words I had been thinking through for months.

I felt like a jerk, but did it anyway.

Of course, I wanted to hear what everyone had to say.. this was a TED event and the brain candy and inspiration filling the room were commodities I cherish and sadly get so rarely these days.

But, have you ever had something you wanted to shout from the top of the tallest building at the top of your lungs? Something that meant so much to you personally that it really had nothing to do with you personally.

That is how I have felt for years while watching the influence of media build, and society’s awareness of how media was affecting us all fade.

I have given countless presentations and been in front of thousands of cameras in my life, but this was not your typical nerves I was feeling. It was the type of anxiety that only comes when you really care about something and desperately want your thoughts to punch through the clutter of noise and mean something.

I was about to have the opportunity to speak the words and thoughts I have incubating for years, and I was going to do it on a TED stage. I had to wait just a few more hours. It was my dubious honor to be the last of 10 talented and fascinating individuals who were speaking.

A fellow speaker caught up to me during one of the intermissions and wanted to chat. The subject and the person could not have been more interesting. A real life Cannonball Run… but I could not focus. He only had a part of my attention and I just could not manage to fake it well enough. I was still running through my thoughts. Reviewing my timing and making sure my talk was as poignant and succinct as I could possibly deliver it.

During the next set of speakers I did it again. Mentally broke away from the person speaking and started reviewing my talk.

So all day I sat with my thoughts bottled up, ready to explode.

Seems rather silly now as I look back at it, but it was a very real feeling. It was a compulsion.

Then my name was called and suddenly I became very calm. It was odd.

Another TED speaker told me the same thing happened to him. It was somewhat of an out of body experience as I stepped in front of the crowd and began.

I had personal moments with people during the presentation. As I looked at them and spoke they seemed to understand exactly what I meant. That is really all I could possibly hope for…

And the catharsis continued after I was done speaking as these same people walked up to me and wanted to continue the conversation that I had started.

That night I felt at peace. It seems dramatic but it is true. I realize now that I had felt a passive pressure to give the speech over months and the release was fantastic.

My hope is that what I said means something to you as well. If so, please share the talk. And if you want to reach out to me and further the conversation… I would be honored. After all, that was all I wanted from the beginning.

About the Author: Glenn Zimmerman

Glenn has what is best described as “Superhero Syndrome.” His affliction began as a child and has progressed with age.

He got into extreme skiing and extreme sports before they were a thing because every superhero should try flying at least once.

While at Boston University, it was his desire to save the day that brought him to Post- Soviet Russia where he explored the emerging homeless population.

His Syndrome brought him to journalism school at Syracuse University to get his MS in Mass Communications. He later became an award winning reporter with the number one station in Detroit (WXYZ-TV) and with NBC’s flagship station in New York (WNBC- TV).

And, it was the reason he formed the video agency Mad Bear Productions.

With Mad Bear, he harnesses the power of story to help business, non-profits and events engage with their target audience. Video is his tool and he wields it mightily.

Glenn is a sought after speaker on video engagement and mass media. It is all part of his quest to help save the day, one story at a time.

Our social media manager just reached out to me this morning with a thought provoking request. She knew this topic is something VERY near and dear to my heart.

What follows is our exchange:

Good Morning Glenn,

Today on Twitter #AdviceForYoungJournalists is trending, if you have any pieces of advice you would find important to share I’d love to capitalize on this topic.

Hope all is well and business is booming over at Mad Bear.

Thank you,
Chelsea

Interesting!

hmmmm…. now to come up with something profound. How’s this?

Everyone talks about how journalism is changing and it is: there are new platforms, new voices, new ways to engage and share, even new audiences. You could even make the argument now the audience is in charge of the direction of news. And with that the News model has been flipped upside down as the industry struggles with how to financially sustain itself. Clicks, views, eyeballs, etc.. are more coveted and are used to quantify the success of this newfangled and evolving business model.

But what I hope never changes is the noble and untainted pursuit of truth.

So my advice would be: whatever your reason to become a journalist… keep that very close to you because there will be a lot of distractions along the way and something has to be your beacon.

What do you think? Anything to add? Reactions? This is such an important subject. We swim in media. Wouldn’t it be nice to know what we are swimming in….

Every day I find myself in the midst of a juggle between running a business and trying to be the best father/husband I can be. It is safe to assume many of you have a similar juggling act.

I am not complaining. Simply stating facts. There is simply not enough time in a day.

So that’s what makes life funny. When something comes up that hits a nerve, suddenly you find time.

Months ago, a very interesting man named Richie Etwaru asked me a question: “Would you like to be the Chief Storyteller for a TEDx event I am organizing in Bedminster, NJ?”

Despite the life juggle I mentioned above, I did not hesitate. “Yes, it would be an honor” was my answer. No money. Though a feather in my cap there was no clear business upside. I did not initially even know what he meant by “Chief Storyteller.

So why was “yes” the gut reaction?

Mental candy. That is what immediately occurred to me. This event represented something to stimulate a part of my mind I have not stimulated enough recently. The part that explores the question “what if” without the need to answer that question. It is a mental exercise I used to enjoy so much back in my college days. When the ethereal trumped the practical. You get the picture.

I had not realized until that very moment how much I craved it. There is true value in pushing your mind past the practical. It is more than an exercise. It is where truly great ideas can be born. So “yes” was the only answer.

Months have passed since that conversation with Richie and the event is upon us. It is happening today.

I have put hours of work into helping the speakers shape their storylines into effective 15 minutes of thought-provoking wonder and awe. And I am better for it.

Mad Bear Productions, my company is now producing the videos for the event so there is new fun exercise involved in the process but none of this has to do directly with profit or business.

Richie has called it a labor of love. While that is true, I am more overcome by the mirror image. It has been a gift of indulgence. The permission to indulge in a larger picture mental exercise that is about to really happen. I’ll let you know how it goes and what comes of this extraordinary experience.

About Glenn Zimmerman:
glenn@madbearproductions.com

Glenn has what is best described as “Superhero Syndrome.”

His affliction began as a child and has progressed with age.

He got into extreme skiing and extreme sports before they were a thing because every
superhero should try flying at least once.

While at Boston University, it was his desire to save the day that brought him to Post-
Soviet Russia where he explored the emerging homeless population.

His Syndrome brought him to journalism school at Syracuse University to get his MS in
Mass Communications. He later became an award winning reporter with the number
one station in Detroit (WXYZ-TV) and with NBC’s flagship station in New York (WNBC-
TV).

And, it was the reason he formed the video agency Mad Bear Productions.
With Mad Bear, he harnesses the power of story to help business, non-profits and
events engage with their target audience. Video is his tool and he wields it mightily.

Glenn is a sought after speaker on video engagement and mass media.

It is all part of his quest to help save the day, one story at a time.

Yes — we are actually encouraging people to produce professional video using their smartphones.

No — we are not crazy because this is a strategy that works.

The word strategy is crucial here. Without strategy, you just have a bunch of poorly shot video without purpose.

This is a way of significantly increasing the scope of your project while keeping the cost of production down.

Here is a scenario — there is only enough budget for a few days of professional shooting yet you are trying to capture locations in more than one state.

Unless you have some magical ability to be in multiple places at once — you’re stuck, right?

Nope!

Here is where you can leverage the fact that most people have easy access to some type of device that shoots reasonable quality HD video.

Take a project we recently completed for WilsonHCG. They wanted a video that captured the essence of their corporate culture but their people work/live all over the country. So, we asked some of their employees to answer a few questions by speaking into their own cameras. Then we wove some of their footage into the storyline.

The result is an interesting blend of high resolution imagery and user generated footage.

Not only does the user generated footage add scope to the storyline but the fact that employees are helping to produce the piece adds a subtle amount of intimacy — it creates the right feeling.

One final note: When you ask people to use their phones to shoot their own video, remind them to make sure the phone is positioned on its side rather than vertically.

For those who don’t understand what I mean — you may be one of those unfortunate souls who has VVS (Vertical Video Syndrone) — if you get nothing from this post other than how to avoid VVS — then I would call this post a success. Enjoy!